Thursday, December 24, 1987
By now, Mangle had been living with Evan for almost five months, and the boy had made tremendous progress with his schoolwork, now learning algebra. He had similarly made great progress studying under his father, and finally managed to remove Mangle's left eye from her secondary head, reinstalling it into her main one. As the secondary head effectively became blind, it no longer served any purpose, and so on Mangle's request, Evan removed it.
Mangle appreciated every little bit of progress Evan made with her, and she treasured every moment that she spent with him. They hung out and played together every single day, and they would always watch at least one movie a week. And every Saturday morning they would watch Freddy & Friends together, while on afternoons on the weekdays they would watch DuckTales. They would even sing along to the intros of the shows. And in the evenings, Evan would lie down on the floor of the barn and do his schoolwork while Mangle would lie right beside him with a good book. Thanks to Evan teaching her, she could now read text without the aid of pictures, albeit slowly. Even so, Mangle enjoyed reading. Given that she couldn't go outside due to being stolen property, she was eager to learn about and experience the world in any other way she could, and literature proved to be a good substitute. Well, that and TV.
Rather than going trick-or-treating on Halloween, Evan stayed home with Mangle, and the two of them would stay up late watching horror movies. And while Evan enjoyed the traditional dinner with his family during Thanksgiving, he and Mangle spent the rest of the day making friendship bracelets. Of course, given the poor dexterity of Mangle's hands, Evan was the one who actually made them, but she got to pick the colors and design for his bracelet.
In mid-November, Evan found a Polaroid camera in the attic, and after getting some film, he made some modifications to it—adding a timer to it as well as building a tripod so that he and Mangle could take photos together. While the animatronic was at first not too keen on being reminded of the way she looked, she quickly warmed up to the idea of capturing moments together with Evan. And so, every now and then, they would take pictures together and hang them up on the wall. At first, it was just a handful of photos, but their numbers were now starting to grow steadily and spread outwards on the wall. Whenever Evan was at school, Mangle would often look at them, of all of the fond memories they had captured. They served as a daily reminder of how much richer her life had become ever since Evan snuck her home with him.
He meant the world to her, and she meant the world to him.
It was the morning of Christmas Eve and Evan was slowly stirring awake. As he opened his eyes, he was met with Mangle's face, which was only a foot away from his own. She watched him with her golden eyes, her eyelids raised in a smile.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said with a giggle.
Evan huffed a laugh and reached out to stroke Mangle's snout, eliciting a giggle from the animatronic. "Good morning, Mangle."
The boy then sat up and let out a yawn as he stretched his arms.
"I can't believe it's just one more day until Christmas," Mangle said excitedly. "Do you think we'll get any snow?"
Evan chuckled. "Mangle, this is Hurricane—we pretty much never get any snow here."
"Awww…" Mangle's ears drooped and she lowered her head dejectedly.
"It's not like you would've seen it anyway," Evan pointed out as he got out of bed.
"Yes, I would," Mangle insisted. "I could just look through the door."
Evan frowned. "You know you're not supposed to do that. If you see Father—"
"I know, I know," Mangle replied and looked away.
The boy regarded her for a moment and then stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her head, hugging her. "Just please be careful, okay?"
Mangle hummed a reply as she leaned into the hug.
Smiling at the animatronic, Evan broke the hug and went over to a trunk that sat along the wall, just behind the bed. Glancing back at Mangle, he said, "Could you—"
"Yeah, I know," Mangle replied, already knowing what her friend was about to say. She turned to look away to give him some privacy.
Evan took off his pajamas and his underwear, and then opened the trunk, which was filled with clothes. Back during the summer and autumn, the boy would just leave the barn in his pajamas and get changed in the house. But as winter drew near, it got a bit too cold for him to go outside like that, and so he decided to move most of his clothes to the barn so that he could change there instead. Sure, it was a bit awkward with Mangle there, but she was thankfully very good at respecting his privacy and boundaries.
After putting on a fresh pair of underwear, khaki pants, white socks, a black shirt with yellow stripes, and a Christmas-themed knitted sweater, Evan closed the trunk and said, "All done."
Mangle turned to look at him. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she said, "That's a really pretty sweater."
Evan looked down at it with a nostalgic smile. "Thanks. Mother made it for me. I think I'm getting a bit too big for it, though…"
Mangle shook her head. "Nah, it still looks good on you."
Evan returned his gaze to the animatronic. "Really?"
"Mm-hm!" Mangle replied with a nod.
Evan smiled at her, but before he could say anything, the buzzer on the wall lit up. The boy gave Mangle a rueful smile and said, "Looks like breakfast is ready."
"Oh…" Mangle lowered her head as her ears drooped.
"Don't worry, Mangle," Evan reassured the animatronic as he walked up to her. He hugged her head and said, "There's lots to do today, but I'll come back to hang out with you whenever I can, okay?"
Leaning into the hug, Mangle hummed a reply.
Breaking the hug, Evan walked over to the barn doors, where he put on his shoes. Turning towards her, he waved and said, "See you later, Mangle!"
The animatronic raised her eyelids in a smile. "See you later, Evan!"
With that, Evan left the barn and was met by the crisp, cool winter air. As he closed the door behind him, he looked over at the house, which was decorated with Christmas lights. The sight brought back memories of past Christmases when he was much younger, back when his mother and sister were still here.
Evan sniffled and then walked over to the house. He stepped onto the front porch and then opened the door, and he was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of ginger-and-cinnamon-spiced pancakes and the sound of Christmas music. Smiling to himself, Evan went inside and closed the door behind him. He glanced briefly at the Christmas tree in the living room before he entered the dining room, where he found his father and brother sitting at the table, eating pancakes with maple syrup and drinking tea. Like Evan, his father wore a festive knitted sweater, while Michael just wore his everyday clothing.
"Good morning, sport," William greeted the boy with a warm smile.
Evan couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Christmas was the one time of the year his father stayed at home for two whole days to spend time with him and his brother.
"Good morning, Father," Evan replied as he walked over to the table. He then turned to his brother and said, "Um… Good morning, Michael."
"Morning," Michael muttered in response as he ate his pancakes.
As Evan took his seat, his gaze drifted to his brother's forearms. While they had healed since that fateful day when he snuck Mangle home with him, they were covered in scars that would probably never go away. While Evan felt bad for what had happened to his brother, he couldn't help but feel like he got his just desserts after having bullied him for years.
Evan's attention was then drawn to the plate with pancakes and the cup of tea that his Father had prepared for him. It all smelled so good! The boy took a sip from his cup—English breakfast tea with milk and sugar, his favorite. He then dug into the ginger-and-cinnamon-spiced pancakes, murmuring in delight as he took his first bite. As he did, his father regarded him with a fond smile.
Once they had all finished their breakfast, William spoke up, "Now then, boys, are you ready to make some gingerbread animatronics?"
"Yeah!" Evan exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, sure, I guess," Michael replied.
"Alright, but first let's put away our dishes, shall we?" William said as he got out of his seat.
The three of them brought their dirty dishes to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher.
William then gestured towards the fridge and said, "Michael, why don't you get the dough out of the fridge and roll it out while I fetch the cookie cutters?"
"Sure thing," Michael replied and began to make his way over to the fridge.
As William was on his way out of the kitchen, he turned to Michael again and said, "Oh, and don't forget to flour the countertop and the rolling pin."
"Of course I won't! I'm not stupid!" Michael snapped as he got the dough out of the fridge.
"That's debatable," William said under his breath as he left the kitchen.
Evan couldn't help but snort as he watched the interaction.
However, this earned him a glare from Michael. "You shut your mouth, you little brat!"
"Michael, be nice to your brother!" William shouted from the storage room.
"Whatever…" Michael huffed as he plopped the dough down on the countertop and began to roll it out with the rolling pin.
"Um… Michael?" Evan said as he watched his brother work.
"What?" Michael asked in annoyance.
"You, um, forgot to flour," Evan noted, resisting the urge to laugh.
Michael froze and stared at the dough and the rolling pin. "Fuck!"
"Language, Michael," William said sternly as he returned to the kitchen, carrying a small box of cookie cutters. He glanced at the dough and asked, "What did I just tell you?"
"I was going to flour it, but you two distracted me!" Michael replied defensively.
"Don't blame other people for your own failings, Michael," William said back as he set the box down on the countertop on the opposite side of the kitchen.
"Whatever…" Michael muttered as he did his best to get the dough unstuck from the countertop and the rolling pin.
William turned his attention to Evan and smiled at him, "Hey sport, I have a little surprise for you."
"What?" Evan asked as he stepped closer to his father.
"You remember that redesign you showed me of your friend Mangle?" William asked as he dug through the cookie cutters in the box.
"Um, yeah?" Evan replied, recalling the drawing he showed his father almost half a year ago.
"Well, I decided to make a cookie cutter based on it," William replied with a smile as he pulled out the cookie cutter in question and handed it to Evan.
Evan let out a gasp as he examined it. Sure, it was just an outline, but he was nevertheless able to see the resemblance to his drawing. With a big grin on his face, the boy wrapped his arms around his father. "Thank you, Father! Thank you!"
William chuckled and ruffled Evan's hair. "You're quite welcome, sport."
"Alright, the dough has been rolled out," Michael called out.
"Very well then, let's make some gingerbread animatronics, shall we?" William said with a playful smile.
Taking various cookie cutters from the box, the Aftons then proceeded to make several gingerbread figures that resembled Spring Bonnie, Fredbear, Funtime Foxy, Funtime Freddy, Chica, Foxy, and of course Mangle. Once the gingerbread animatronics were ready, the Aftons put them in the oven and then went on to make mincemeat pies. When the gingerbread animatronics had finished baking and cooled down, Evan got to work decorating them with icing while his father and brother focused on the pies, and naturally he gave the gingerbread Mangles some additional care, even going so far as to place them on their own separate plate.
By the time Evan had finished decorating the gingerbread animatronics, his father was in the middle of icing the Christmas cake, while his brother was busying himself with making the shortbread dough. Evan went to help his brother, and after another half hour of baking, the two of them were done. Their father meanwhile was in the process of making spiced pecans.
Once they were done, Michael let out a sigh of relief. "Finally." He then began to make his way out of the kitchen. "I'm gonna go watch some TV."
However, just as the fourteen-year-old was about to pass the plate of gingerbread Mangles, he came to a stop and looked at it. Then, much to Evan's dismay, he reached out to take one of the cookies.
"Michael, no!" Evan yelled out. "I made those for me and Mangle!"
With a mischievous smile, Michael nevertheless grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite out of it, all while looking Evan in the eyes.
"No!" Evan cried out.
Michael rolled his eyes. "Oh cut it out, you cryba—"
William then smacked the fourteen-year-old on the back of his head.
"Ow!"
"I thought I told you to be nice to your brother!" William yelled angrily.
"Geez, it was just one cookie!" Michael shot back as he rubbed the back of his head.
"That's irrelevant! He put a lot of effort into them and told you not to take any!" William yelled in response.
"Yeah, whatever. I didn't even like it, anyway," Michael said and turned to leave the kitchen. "And I have better things to do."
"Good," William replied as he went back to making spiced pecans. "I've had enough of your stupidity."
Upon hearing that, Michael turned to glare at his father and then at his brother. Evan then watched on in horror as he grabbed the plate and dumped all of the gingerbread Mangles onto the floor and crushed them under his foot.
"Nooooo!" Evan cried out as his eyes welled up with tears.
William forcefully grabbed the fourteen-year-old by the wrist and snarled, "What the hell is wrong with you, Michael?!"
"I don't know, I guess I'm just too stupid to do anything right," Michael snapped in response.
William slapped him hard across the face and then pointed to the door. "Go to your room! You're grounded for the rest of the day!"
Michael glared daggers at his father before he stomped out of the kitchen. "Fine! I hate being around you two anyway!"
"Oh, and you can forget about getting any presents!" William shouted after him as he watched him go up the stairs.
Michael didn't respond. All that was heard from him was him stomping his way to his room, and then slamming the door shut.
Evan, meanwhile, was sobbing uncontrollably as he fell down on his knees in front of the crushed remains of his gingerbread Mangles.
William gave him a look of sympathy as he walked up to him. He then knelt down and pulled the boy into a hug.
"I-I-I-I-I was gonna show them to Mangle…" Evan sobbed as he buried his face in his father's chest.
"I know, sport. I know," William replied as he stroked the boy's hair.
"Why does Michael have to be so mean?" Evan asked between sobs.
"I wish I knew, sport. I really do," William replied, doing his best to comfort the boy. "Hey, how about I make some more gingerbread dough so that you can make another batch of cookies? Would you like that?"
"Mm-hm," Evan replied with a whimper.
"Alright. In the meantime, why don't you take some treats and go spend some time with Mangle?" William suggested. "I'll buzz you when the dough is ready."
"Okay," Evan replied. He then broke the hug and rubbed his eyes before he went to get a fresh plate. The boy then took a mincemeat pie, as well as a couple of shortbreads and gingerbread animatronics. Once he had put them on his plate, Evan sniffled and turned to his father. "Thanks, Father."
William offered him a comforting smile. "Don't mention it, sport."
With that, Evan left the house, plate in hand, and returned to the barn. As he entered, he found Mangle lying in front of the TV.
She turned to look at him and raised her eyelids in a smile. "Hi Evan, did you have—" She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the boy's red, puffy eyes. She tilted her head to the side and asked, "Have you been crying?"
Evan nodded and then sat down next to her. He sniffled and set the plate down in front of him. "Michael was being mean again."
"Mean how?" Mangle asked as she regarded the boy with warm, caring eyes.
"We made gingerbread animatronics," Evan began, taking one that resembled Spring Bonnie from his plate to show her. "And I made some that looked like you, but then…" He returned the gingerbread figure to his plate and frowned. "... but then Michael dropped them all on the floor and stepped on them."
Mangle lowered her ears and gave Evan a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."
"I don't understand why he hates me so much," Evan sniffled. "But Father said that he won't get any presents now, so hopefully that'll teach him not to be so mean."
Mangle looked away and hung her head in shame. "Santa probably won't give me any presents either…"
Evan stared confusedly at Mangle as he took in what she just said. "... What?"
"I mean, I've done meaner things than Michael, so if he won't get any presents, then Santa wouldn't give me any either," Mangle elaborated.
The nine-year-old couldn't help but to laugh at that.
Mangle turned to Evan, her ears lowered and looking quite distraught. "Wh-why are you laughing?"
"Mangle, Santa's not real," Evan replied as he continued to laugh.
Mangle blinked. "... Huh?"
"He's not real," Evan repeated.
Mangle gave him a look of disbelief. "He's… not? But they talked about him on the news and everything!"
Evan's laughter began to subside, and he gave Mangle a weird look. "Okay, I dunno what that was about, but he's definitely not real."
Mangle tilted her head to the side. "But if he's not real, then where do all the presents come from?"
"From parents and siblings," Evan explained. He then gave Mangle a knowing smile and added, "And from friends."
Mangle's eyes lit up in excitement. "Wait… did you get me a present!?"
"I got you two presents," Evan replied with a grin.
Mangle let out a giggle and bounced up and down in excitement. Then, suddenly, she stopped, her eyes going wide. "Oh no. Oh no!" With a look of embarrassment and shame, she said, "I didn't get you anything!"
"That's okay," Evan replied, giving her a comforting smile. He hugged her head and added, "You're the best gift I could've ever asked for."
Mangle raised her eyelids in a smile and nuzzled into the boy, eliciting a giggle from him.
Breaking the hug, the two settled down to watch a Christmas special that was on TV. As they watched, Evan munched on the treats he had brought with him, all the while Mangle kept glancing in his direction.
As the boy took a bite of a gingerbread animatronic, Mangle finally asked, "What does it taste like?"
"Um…" Evan considered the question as he turned to look at her. "It's sweet and yummy, and also kinda spicy?"
Mangle let out a wistful sigh and rested her head on the floor. "I wish I could taste it."
With a reassuring smile, Evan reached out and stroked the animatronic's head. "Don't worry, Mangle. You will one day, I promise."
After Evan and Mangle had watched TV together for a couple of hours, the buzzer suddenly lit up. With that, the nine-year-old left the barn and returned to the house. Once he reached the kitchen, he found that his father had already rolled out the dough for him. Evan proceeded to make several new gingerbread Mangles, and once they had been put in the oven, the boy helped his father prepare dinner—standing rib roast with mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and red wine sauce. Then, after taking the gingerbread figures out of the oven and letting them cool down, Evan proceeded to put a lot of time and effort into decorating them with icing, and in the end they turned out better than the previous batch.
Evan put all of the gingerbread Mangles on a plate and then returned to the barn. Once again, he found his animatronic friend in front of the TV, this time watching 'It's a Wonderful Life'.
With a big smile on his face, Evan approached Mangle and held the plate out to her. "Look, Mangle!"
The animatronic lifted her head and looked at the gingerbread figures Evan had made, all of them resembling what she so wished to look like. Raising her eyelids in a smile, she said, "Ooooh, they're all so pretty!"
"Thanks!" Evan replied with a proud grin. "I think they turned out even better than the first ones I made."
The boy then took one of the gingerbread figures and was about to eat it when Mangle stopped him.
"Wait. Do you have to eat them?" Mangle asked. "They're so pretty."
"I mean, I sorta have to at some point or they'll go bad," Evan explained.
Mangle lowered her ears. "Oh…"
Evan looked down at the gingerbread figure in his hand and then back at Mangle. He returned the gingerbread animatronic to the plate and set it down in front of the TV. "But, um, I guess I can let them be for now."
This immediately improved Mangle's mood. Her eyelids raised in a smile, she let out a giggle and said, "Thanks, Evan!"
She then lied down in front of the plate to admire the gingerbread figures, eliciting a chuckle from Evan. He sat down next to her and watched TV with her.
However, it wasn't that long until the wall buzzer lit up again, and so Evan hugged Mangle goodbye and returned to the house. As he entered the Afton residence, he was met with the mouth-watering smell of rib roast. With a smile on his face, Evan went to the dining room where his father had already set the table.
William smiled at the boy as he cut a slice of meat off the roast. "Why don't you take a seat, sport?"
Evan hummed a reply and nodded before he proceeded to walk over to the table and sit down in his usual spot. He then waited patiently and watched his father put a couple of slices of meat on Michael's plate, along with a helping of mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and red wine sauce.
"Feel free to help yourself while I bring this to Michael," William said as he grabbed Michael's plate along with a knife and fork.
"M'kay," Evan replied with an eager smile.
As his father went upstairs with the food, Evan got to work cutting a couple of slices of meat for himself and put them on his plate. He then got some mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and red wine sauce, as well as a glass of Coke. He had started eating when his father came back downstairs.
While William returned with a frown on his face, he smiled upon seeing the nine-year-old enjoying his dinner. "Do you like it, sport?"
"Mm-hm!" Evan replied with a mouth full of food.
"Well then, I best get some for myself before you eat it all," William said with a chuckle as he took his seat.
The two enjoyed their dinner, and once they had finished eating, they put away their dishes in the dishwasher. Afterwards, Evan returned to the barn to hang out and play with Mangle for a couple of hours. However, a little before 8:00 PM, the boy bade her farewell and returned to the house. There he and his father proceeded to watch 'A Christmas Story' while enjoying some gingerbread animatronics, shortbread, mincemeat pies, and spiced pecans.
Once the movie was over, William stretched and then smiled at Evan. "Now then, sport, how about I give you your present for tonight?"
Evan grinned eagerly and nodded.
With a chuckle, his father ruffled the boy's hair and got out of the sofa. He went to the storage room, and shortly thereafter he returned with a one-inch-thick rectangular present. He handed it to the boy with a smile and then sat back down on the sofa.
Evan eagerly unwrapped the present and, much to his surprise, found a very scratched up, worn, and old-looking book with a blank, reddish brown hardcover. As he examined it, he noticed the title of the book on its spine—'The Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer' by Wilkes, Wheeler, and Gill.
William couldn't help but to chuckle at the boy's confusion. "Your great grandfather gave me that book when I was about your age. He was the one who got me interested in computer science, and that book taught me the fundamentals of programming," he explained with a nostalgic look on his face. William reached out and stroked Evan's hair and added, "Given your newfound interest in robotics, it felt only fitting that I pass it along to his namesake."
Still a little taken aback by the gift, Evan smiled at William and said, "Thank you, Father."
"You're quite welcome, sport," William replied and hugged him. "Now, why don't you go get ready for bed?"
"M'kay," Evan replied as he set the book down on the table.
The nine-year-old went to one of the bathrooms upstairs, where he used the toilet and brushed his teeth. But before he went back downstairs, Evan made a quick detour to his room to fetch one of Mangle's Christmas presents, which was shaped like a small rectangular box. Once he returned to the living room, the boy retrieved the book and then hugged his father goodnight before he left the house.
Upon entering the barn, Evan once again found Mangle lying in front of the TV with a bored look on her face. However, she immediately lit up when she saw him come in, and it didn't take long before she noticed the present he was carrying.
Mangle let out a gasp and pointed at it with curious eyes. "What's that?"
"It's one of your Christmas presents," Evan replied with a smile as he closed the door behind him.
The animatronic tilted her head to the side. "But I thought you only got presents on Christmas morning."
"Well, I dunno about other families, but we always get one present on the night of Christmas Eve," Evan explained as he approached her. He then handed her the present with a grin. "Here you go, Mangle."
Mangle let out a delighted squeal as she took the present, but she quickly found herself unable to unwrap it due to her ponderous fingers. Frustrated, she was about to use her teeth to tear it open, but then she stopped herself and, with pleading eyes, handed it back to Evan. "Can you help me?"
Evan gave her a comforting smile and sat down next to her. "Of course."
Mangle then watched as the boy gently unwrapped the present, and when she saw what was inside, she let out a gasp. It was a doll similar to the ones that had been sold by Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, except it was a more curvy, feminine version of what she used to look like before the technicians stopped repairing her. She reached out and took it in order to examine it more closely. It was beautiful.
Evan smiled as he watched Mangle's reaction. "I made it by repainting Toy Chica's doll and replacing her head with the one from your doll, and adding the tail. Do you like it?"
"I love it!" Mangle replied and pulled the boy into a hug. "Thank you so much for this, Evan."
"You're welcome, Mangle," Evan replied with a giggle as he leaned into the hug.
Breaking the hug, the boy went over to his clothes trunk to change into his pajamas. As he did so, Mangle kept admiring the doll. Once Evan had gotten into bed, Mangle went around the barn to turn off all of the lights, after which she curled up around him, resting her head on his chest.
Evan smiled and stroked her head. "Goodnight, Mangle."
"Goodnight, Evan," Mangle replied.
Before long, the boy fell asleep, and as he slept, Mangle continued to admire the doll and imagined herself looking just like it.
Friday, December 25, 1987
Evan woke up to see Mangle patiently watching him, her face a mere foot away from his own. As she saw him wake up, her eyelids raised in a smile.
"Good morning, and merry Christmas!" Mangle said with a giggle.
Evan smiled at her and chuckled as he stroked her head. "Merry Christmas, Mangle."
"Soooo… do I get another Christmas present today?" Mangle asked eagerly.
"Mm-hm," Evan replied as he got out of bed. "But first I need to go to the house."
Mangle giggled and bounced around excitedly upon hearing that. Evan, meanwhile, went over to the clothes trunk where he changed out of his pajamas and got dressed, putting on a fresh pair of underwear, olive green pants, white socks, a white shirt, and the same sweater as the day before. After saying goodbye to Mangle, Evan left the barn and entered the house.
Inside, Evan found his father sitting on the sofa in the living room and drinking a cup of tea while watching TV.
As he heard the nine-year-old enter, William turned to smile at him. "Merry Christmas, sport."
Evan smiled back at him. "Merry Christmas, Father."
The boy then glanced at the Christmas tree, which had two large presents under it.
William gestured towards the stairs and said, "Why don't you go freshen yourself up a bit before we open presents?"
Evan hummed a reply and nodded before he went upstairs.
However, as he went down the hallway and towards the bathroom, he could hear the sink running, which meant that it was currently occupied. As such, once he reached the bathroom door, the boy leaned against the wall and waited.
Before long, Michael stepped out of the bathroom, and he looked a little surprised when he saw Evan waiting outside.
"Oh. Uh… Good morning, Evan," Michael said.
"Morning," Evan replied coldly, still feeling upset at his brother for destroying his cookies.
Michael looked like he was about to leave, but then he hesitated. With a guilty look on his face, he said, "Hey… I'm sorry about yesterday."
However, Evan didn't respond. He just frowned and then went into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind him. After using the toilet and brushing his teeth, the nine-year-old exited the bathroom and went into his room, grabbing Mangle's second present—a large rectangular box—before he went downstairs. There he found his father and brother sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting for him.
William turned to smile at him. "Now then, sport. Why don't you look under the tree?"
With a big smile on his face, Evan set Mangle's present down next to the sofa, then walked over to the tree and crouched down. He grabbed the smaller of the two presents, and while he was sure that both of them were for him, he nevertheless read the label. Sure enough, it read 'Evan'. The boy proceeded to unwrap the present, and inside he found three thick books that were all part of the same series—'The Art of Computer Programming' by Donald Knuth.
Having watched Evan open the present with a nostalgic look on his face, William said, "I began reading those books back in college. While they might be a little too advanced for you now, studying them will be crucial if you wish to modify Mangle's code."
Evan turned to smile at William. "Thank you, Father."
Next, the nine-year-old grabbed the second present, which was quite heavy. To his surprise, it was for Mangle.
Upon seeing the confused look on Evan's face, William said, "Given how much your animatronic friend has inspired you to learn my craft, and continues to inspire you, it felt only appropriate to give her something to show my gratitude." With a saddened look in William's eyes, he added, "With everything this family has been through, I never thought any of you would've taken an interest in what I do." He smiled proudly at Evan. "But now it seems like I'm actually going to have a worthy successor, and I have her to thank for that."
Michael frowned upon hearing that.
Evan, meanwhile, got up and walked over to his father. He hugged him and said, "Thank you, Father. This is gonna make Mangle so happy."
"I'm sure it will, sport. I'm sure it will," William replied with a self-satisfied smile as he hugged the boy. Once they broke the hug, he added, "Now that present is rather heavy and fragile, so be careful when you carry it."
Evan nodded. "Don't worry, I will."
With that, Evan placed his own gift for Mangle on top of the other one and then lifted them both. They were heavy, but it wasn't more than he could handle, and so he carried them with him as he left the house and entered the barn.
As Mangle saw the two big presents in Evan's arms, her eyes went wide. "Are those for me?"
"Yeah," Evan replied with a grin. "One from me and one from Father."
Mangle let out a gasp and stared at the presents in disbelief. "Your father gave me a present too?"
"Mm-hm," Evan replied with a smile as he set the presents down in front of her. "Which one do you want to open first?"
"Yours!" Mangle said without hesitation.
Evan couldn't help but to chuckle at that. "Okay. Do you want me to help you open it?"
"Yeah," Mangle nodded.
And so, Evan slowly unwrapped the first present while Mangle watched on with great anticipation.
When she saw what it was, she let out another gasp. "Is that a doll house?!"
"Um, yeah," Evan replied with an unsure nod. "Since you like playing with dolls, I figured—"
Before Evan could finish his sentence, Mangle pulled him into a hug. "I love it! Thank you so much, Evan!"
Evan chuckled and leaned into the hug. "You're welcome, Mangle." Then, once they had broken the hug, he smiled and said, "How about we open the next present?"
"Yes, let's!" Mangle replied excitedly.
Setting the doll house box aside, Evan then proceeded to open the present from his father. Both he and Mangle were quite surprised by what they found inside.
"What is that?" Mangle asked, tilting her head to the side.
"It's a VCR!" Evan exclaimed. "You can use it to watch movies and record stuff on TV!"
"Oh my gosh, that's so cool!" Mangle exclaimed as she excitedly bounced up and down. "Ooh, your father is so nice! I wish I could thank him for this."
Evan laughed. "Don't worry, I'll let him know." Then, after putting the VCR aside, he grabbed the doll house box and smiled at Mangle. "Now, how about I help you put this together?"
Meanwhile, Michael and William were having a discussion on the sofa in the living room.
"I can't believe you gave that thing a VCR!" Michael said aloud, looking quite upset.
William smirked. "Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't give her one just because I felt thankful—I gave it to her so that she'll have something more to distract her during the day. We wouldn't want her to get bored enough to leave the barn while Evan's at school, now would we?"
